Method of aerating liquescent material and apparatus in aid thereof



J. C. HUGHES.

METHOD OF AERAT ING LIQUESCENT MATERIAL AND APPARATUS lNAlD THEREOF.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 21. 192

1,41 1 103. A Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

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l 7 METHOD or AERATING'LIIQUESOENT MATERIAL amnrrana'ros m AID THEREOF.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFI JOHN omrronn HUGHES, or MIDDLETOWN, NEW x0311, ASSIGNOR ,TO mm 13 COMBANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A ORrORA'rION 0F NEwJEBsEY Specification of Letters Patent. P t ht n 1922,.

Application filed March 21, 1921. Serial No. 454,276.

1 o (M whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN :GLIFFORD I-IUGHEs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middletown, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have in vented a new and useful Method of Aerating Liquescent Material and Apparatus in Aid Thereof, of which the following is a specification; V

My invention relates to the 'lIICOI'POI'atIOII of air, or other gas, and its extremely minute subdivision in what I term liquescent, or semi-liquid, i. c. more or less viscous liquid, material 'for example. concentrated milk, during its conversion fordrying purposes into such an aerated batter, or aerated,

coherent, plastic, adhesive mass as described in United States Letters l atent N o. 1,233,446 and 1,250,427,1toCharles H. Campbell," and the objects of my invention com prise provision ofa'method, and mean'sfin aid thereof, whereby the air can be'more rapidly, certainly, effectively and economis cally incorporated andmore minutely subdivided, and with less risk ofinjuring the material,particularly the milk I attain theseobjects by treating, and by aid of apparatus, as hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which? i r Figure 1 is-a diagrammatic, partly crosssectional, view, suggestive of the conformations imparted to, and movements of, the material'during practice of my method;

Figure 2 is acentral longitudinal vertical cross-section of my above referred to preferred apparatus;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 seen in the direction of the arrow; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section on the lin 4s4 of Figure 2, and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 4 is a detail end view showing means for rotating the shafts.

My method is practised by moving, i. e. propelling portions of the material, for ex ample milk which has been concentrated,

' say, preferably, from about four volumes down to one volume, in a continuously onwardly moving stream around one of two longitudinally extended mutually parallel,

substantially horizontal, imaginary axes, and, simultaneously, other portions of said ,ing stream around the othe material in another similar, similarly movi- 'r of said axes, the said axes beingso approximated to each other that saidstreams are obliged to 'commingle with each other While they are movmg between said axes. The effect of so manipulating the material is to impart to the respective portions thereof a, to an'extent, whorl-like, .or partially cylindrical,

g and containing, Ibelieve, longitudinal centrifugally produced inteconformation approximately concentric with one of'said axes,

rior air-spaces surrounding-said axes,'an'd through the relatively pervious, or open, ends'of which spaces more or less airis 7 suckedin to rise throughthe superi m posed portions'of the, whorl, thus contributing'to aerationas per UnitedStates Letters Patent N0.1,308,904. 1, g

Figure l, of the drawingsisan attem t to pictorially elucidate-the streams,'or ru imentary'whorls, of the'material, their gr.

tially cylindrical conformation, and-t eir contained longitudinal airspaces. In said,

figure R rep're'sents a c'rOss-section-of the receptacle, or tank, hereafter described; AA' the respective above referred to axes of the circular movements" S S' the air spaces. The jagged lines o (5' represent the proximate exterior and interior boundaries of the whorls, the arrows Within said boundaries indicating suggestively the directions of movement of the material in the whorls, and in the zone between the axes where the respective streams commingle. P in said figure indicates a segregated stream of the material which, in the preferred practice of my method, I continuously downpour toward between the said axes. In said zone the commingling of the streams causes multitudinous collisions between different portions of the material, and of therein occlusions of air, particularly of those which are there moving in opposite directions; the result being continuously occurring multiple dislocations amounting often to localized'cleavings of the material and its occlusions, thus, as is of great importance, constantly and rapidly subdivided existing air spaces, or forming new ones.

The upper exterior surfaces of'the whorls beinglexposed to the atmosphere, and of more or less rough or porous character, and rapidly rotating, also catch and hold air uct-;.cqns an ly i ing j described process compr ses ners proportional to the infeed of the material,

stream, and the prodto above the whorls inproportion to its aerationqandi resulting levitation and being constantly withdrawn by overflow, i. e.from a locationwhich is at least above-the axes, of the whorls.

have also discovered it to be of advantage'pif not essential, to cool the material during the continuance of the operation.

abovereferred, to preferred apparatus maid. of. the working of my above 7 a receptable, R, for housing the operation. It is, preferably, oftheconforniation shown inthe drawings, i.- e, longitudinally extended, having mutullQparallel, substantially vertical, longitudinally-extended, .major sides, and similar, though shorter, ends. It is interiorly .c0neavel curved along its longitudinal cor- R so as to there avoid angular ma teriaLcollectin space, and particularly to, as is also of-a vantage, present interior surfaeescomplementary to the external contours grate labovetdescribed whorls of the material. I, preferably, provide the receptacle withlaremova'ble cover R though that is not essential... If a'cover is used, it ispro- .vided with an opening, R to accommodate my downpoured stream P of the material, this opening being centrallylocated as shown so that, the material may be impelled by .gravity, t ow'ards. between .the axes of the whorls (Fig. 1).'

In the ends of the receptaclel mount a pair of rotatory mutually parallel shafts 5, 5', having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane, and each carrying. as shown, a plurality of alike ranks of therefrom radiallyv projecting spaced-apart alike fingers, 6, 6-, the fingerson one shaft being, as shown, staggered relatively to the fingers .of theother shaft, sothat the fingers'of the one may-during rotation, interpass the fingers of the other shaft. I prefer to, asis important for my purpose, make the fingers of substantially rectangular cross-section, their propulsion of the material being thereby increased, and I also preferably locate them so that respective fingers of the respective shafts shall have little more than a fair clearance wheninterpassing each other. ,1 project the fingers from each as by my downpoured shaft as far as is consistent with their ends clearing the other shaft and the sides of the receptacle, theshafts also being. correspondingly located and preferably concentrically with the said curvatures of the interior of the receptacle.

1 provide, for imparting of course, any convenient means to the shafts slmultaneous and synchroneous rotation, and preferably in the same circular directlon, thereby cans ing their respective fingers to interpass each other from opposite directions, but my method isoperable although the shafts be rotated in opposite circular directions.

Such means for so rotating such shafts from a sourceof powerseem too well known to require other description than affordedby Figures 2 and 4:, showing gears 7 7 carried respectively by the ends of the shafts 5 5 outside of the receptacle. R, and within a usual casing, R, a gear 8 meshing with said gears 7 7 andcarried bya superdisposed power shaft 8, carrying a pulley S -operated by ,aid of a belt 1(). I It isof advantage,

, j though not absolutely ;sse ntial, that the-elements above referred to be so adjusted relatively to each other as to insure that t he ranks of the fingers" carried Ibyjthe respective shafts shall so interpass each other as that both shall be, at the mo .ment, in substantialparallelism with each other, and in the plane in which the shafts are, as aforesaid, located, a much more def sirable effect being thereby produced on the material and its gaseous occlusions.

Within the receptacle adjacent the .end thereof oppositeto that ,nearwhieh I downpour the material, is provided a conduit 12 forthefinal aerated" product, the said conduit having, as'is important, 'all lips of'its inlet, or intake, opening 13 located in ali'orizontal plane above the axes of the shafts, the said'lip's being thus presented upwardly to, the levitating, thereover flowing, aerated material, and the said conduit extending from said opening downwardly within the receptacle so as to afford downward gravity fall of the product as it overflows said opening, The conduit is provided adjacent the bottom thereof with an outlet 14. 7 a I provide any well known convenient means for imparting to the material, during the operation of my method, a temperature lower than normal, for example a usual jacket 15 for the receptacle, as indicated by dotted lines in the drawings, and having the usual connections and appliances required for forcing a current of cooling fluid, air or water, through the jacket. i

Operation: rapid. rotation is imparted to the shafts and continuously main'tained throughout the operation, the speed being variable according to the nature ofthe material and at the rate of about 300 revolutions per minute in the case of concentrated milk The material is thenadmitted in a constant stream, poured, as above described, and from adjapreferably downwardly therein a direct cent that end of the receptacle which is opposite the outlet. Therotating fingers immediately pick up the material anda-s it accumulates impart thereto the whorl-like quasi-cylindrical conformations above described. The fingers advance through the moving material more rapidly than thematerial is progressing and thus are constantly opening behind them in the material a wake of displacements or openingsv into which more or less air is sucked. When respective ranks of. the fingers interpass each other the material and its gaseous occlusions are thereby greatly agitated and the latter subdivided indefinitely and meanwhile additional supplies of air are, I believe, indrawn through the cylindrical air spaces within the whorls. As the material becomes sufiiciently aerated it will rise by levitation above the whorls and overflowthe said lips of, and thence down, the outletconduit from thebottom of which it isremoved-tovbe dried or otherwise further treated as desired, the resulting aerated, coherent, plastic, adhesive,

mass of previously concentrated milk being thus continuously, progressively, separated,

from the comparatively, unaerated remainder,.by aid of levitation andrgravity and without interrupting-the" continuity of the operation or being remingled tivelyunaerated material.

The rate. of infeed is, preferably, reguth comparalated so as to preventlany substantial accu- I mulation of unbeaten material, the latter be; ing promptly picked up by the fingers as it enters the receptacle, and proportionately to ts increas ng aeration progressively spirally moved onwards towards the outlet, thereby avoiding the hitherto undesirable return of partially aerated material into an underlying accumulation, or pool, of unaerated.

This desirable result appears to me unattainable unless my above described duplex mutually'intercepting whorls located in the same horizontal plane be so employed, the constituent material of each being, at the time of interception, aerated to substantially the same degree.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent is the following, viz:

1. In the treatment of liquescent, semiliquid, viscous lacteal material to aerate it,

the steps which consist in downwardly pour-,

mg a continuous stream thereof, dividing said stream and continuously propelling parts thereof circularly around an axis extending one side of and angularly to the direction of said stream, simultaneously similarly propelling other parts thereof around another similar axis parallel with the first axisand extending on the opposite side of said stream, and meanwhile, by aid of gravity, continuously, progressively, from a location above said axes, withdrawing the aerated material and separating it from less aerated. I V

2. In the treatment of liquescent, semiliquid, viscous lacteal material to aerate it, the steps which consist in downwardly pouring a continuous stream thereof; dividing said stream and continuously propelling parts thereof circularly around mans extending one side of and angular-1y to the direction of said stream; simultaneously similarly propelling other parts thereof around another similar axis parallel with the first axis and extending on the oppositesideof said stream; by aid of gravity continuously, progressively, from a location above said axes, withdrawing aerated material and separating it from less aerated, and meanwhile cooling the material while it is being thus treated. i

3. The method of treating milk toconvert it into anaerated, coherent, plastic, adhesive, mass which comprises first concentrating it; and then propelling portions of the resultingconcentrate in a stream moving circularly around one of two mutually parallel longitudinally extended imaginary axes 'thereof downwardly towards between two mutually parallel axeslocated in a substantially horizontal "plane; next, dividing said stream and propelling portions of it'in a stream moving circularly around one of said axes and simultaneously propelling other portions inanother similar stream around the other of said axes; and, meanwhile, by aid of gravity, continuously progressively withdrawing the aerated concentrate from above said axes. m

5. In an apparatus for aeratin semiliquid materia a receptacle, and Wit in said receptacle a pair of rotatory mutually parallel shafts having their axes in substantially the same horizontal plane and each carrying a plurality of alike ranks of therefrom radially projecting spaced-apart alike fingers, Y

the fingers of the one shaft being extended and staggered relatively to the fingers of the other shaft so as to interpass each other, the shafts and ranks so disposed that the fingers while interpassing are simultaneously momentarily in the same plane, means to simultaneously rotate said shafts and means to meanwhileby aid of gravity Withsaid receptacle above said axes.

draw aerated material from a location in said receptacle above said axes.

6. In an apparatus for aerating semiliquid material, a receptacle, and within said receptacle a pair of rotatory, mutuallyparallel, shafts having their axes in substantially the same horizontal planeand each carrying a plurality of alike ranks of therefrom radially projecting spaced-apart alike fingers of substantially rectangular cross section, the fingers of the one shaft being extended and staggered relatively to the fingers of the other shaft so as to interpass each other, the shaftsiand ranks so disposed that the fingers while interpassing are simultaneously momentarily in the same plane, means to simultaneously rotate said shafts and means to meanwhile by aid of gravity withdraw aerated material from a location in "'7. In apparatusifor aerating semi-liquid material, a receptacle therefor, a pair of substantially horizontally longitudinally extended, mutually parallel, finger-carrying, shafts rotatably mounted in said receptacle; means to rotate said shafts simultaneously; means to direct downpouring continuous 'stream of the material towards the middle ofthe interspace between the shafts adja- 'cent'on'e end thereofwhile they are rotating,

and means adjacent the opposite end of the shafts to meanwhile continuously progressively withdraw the aerated material from the'receptacle through an opening located abovethe shafts. v I e 8; apparatus" for aerating semi-liquid material, a receptacle therefor, a pair of substantially horizontally longitudinally extended, Vmutually parallel, finger-carrying,

shafts rotatably mounted in said receptacle;

' means to rotate said shaftssimultaneously;

means to directa downpouring contlnuous stream of the material towards the middle of the interspace between the shafts adjacent one end thereof while they are rotating,

and means comprising a'conduit having anl upwardlypresented intake opening and ex-l tending downwardly within; the receptacle adjacent the opposite end of the shafts' to meanwhile continuously progressively Wltll draw the aerated material from the receptacle.

. 9. In apparatus for aerating semi-liquid material, a receptacle therefor, a pair'ofsubstantially horizontally longitudinally extended, mutually parallel, finger-carrying, shafts rotatab'ly mounted in said receptacle; means to rotatesaid shafts simultaneously; means to direct-a downpouring continuous stream of the'material'towards the middle which are presentedup wardly in a planeat 10. apparatus for aerating semi-liquid material, a receptacle therefor; .a beater within the receptacle; means to'rotate the draw aerated material therefrom by aid of a level above that ofthe axes of the shafts.

and extending therefrom downwardly I within the receptacle, to meanwhile with-' p In apparatus for aerating semi-liquid V mater al, a receptacle therefor; a heater within the receptacle; means to rotate the beater; and'means, comprismg a 'COIldllllJ having an upwardly presented intake open- JOHN CLIFFORD HUGHES.

75 beater; and means, comprising a conduit I 

